# Two Highly Specific Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies to the Putative C-Telopeptide of Human Collagen XIα1, a Cancer Biomarker

## TL;DR

This study develops two highly specific mouse monoclonal antibodies targeting a unique part of human collagen XIα1, which is linked to cancer progression.

## Contribution

The development of two novel monoclonal antibodies specific to the C-telopeptide of human collagen XIα1.

## Key findings

- The antibodies specifically bind to the RRHTEGMQA epitope without reacting with the C-propeptide.
- The RRHT motif is crucial for epitope recognition as a linear B-cell neoepitope.
- No immunodetection was observed in COL11A1-expressing cells or PDAC tissue sections.

## Abstract

Background: Collagen XIα1, encoded by the COL11A1 gene, is a minor fibrillar collagen that is overexpressed in various human cancers, in which its presence correlates with tumor aggressiveness and progression. Methods: In this study, we developed two novel mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)—anti-colXIα1 clone 3 and anti-colXIα1 clone 9—that target the putative C-telopeptide of human collagen XIα1. These antibodies target the RRHTEGMQA sequence, a unique nine-amino-acid stretch within the putative C-telopeptide of human collagen XIα1. Results: Corresponding to nearly identical V(D)J gene segments and complementarity-determining regions (CDRs), the antibodies specifically bound the RRHTEGMQA epitope in ELISAs but did not react with the C-propeptide. This specificity was further confirmed with the purified anti-colXIα1 clone 9 mAb, which demonstrated strong reactivity against recombinant proteins containing the RRHTEGMQA sequence in both ELISAs and Western blot assays. This sequence seems to behave as a linear B-cell neoepitope, in which the RRHT motif is crucial for epitope recognition. Otherwise, no immunodetections were observed, either in cultures and lysates from the COL11A1-highly expressing A204 human cell line or on tissue sections from specimens of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with strong desmoplastic reactions. Conclusions: Given the lack of precise knowledge of the characteristics of the putative C-telopeptide of human collagen XIα1, the presented antibodies could enhance our understanding of the processing of human procollagen XIα1 and contribute to better characterization of the tumor microenvironment of COL11A1-expressing cancers.